Analysis of Radionuclide Partitioning at Various Stages of Processing of Ilmenite Ore Using HPGe Gamma-Ray Spectrometry

This paper discusses the natural radioactivity levels in ilmenite ore and its final product. Two economically viable ores of titanium are ilmenite (FeO.TiO₂) and rutile (TiO₂). High-purity germanium (HPGe) detector was used to analyse samples of raw ore, its purified fraction and the final product (synthetic rutile). Radioactivity levels due to ²³⁸U and ²³²Th and its daughter products were estimated. The concentration of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th in raw ore, purified ore and synthetic rutile was found to be 204 ± 4 and 1208 ± 5, 89.0 ± 4 and 597.0 ± 4, 119 ± 2.5 and 398.0 ± 3 Bq/kg, respectively. The dose rates due to gamma photons estimated in raw ore and synthetic rutile were 572 nSv/h and 277 nSv/h, respectively. The activity index estimated was 5.3 for raw ore and 2.3 for final product (synthetic rutile). The final product contained only 25% of the radioactivity compared to the ore showing significant reduction in radioactivity due to the processing of the ore.